Definition: The printed pieces, such as brochures, letterhead and business
cards, you'll use to market your business
Every company needs "literature," printed pieces that do a
careful and well thought-out job of presenting its products and
services: catalogs, newsletters, product sheets and brochures,
letterhead, business cards, presentation folders, specification
sheets, case histories or application sheets, special event
brochures, annual reports, manuals, technical bulletins, posters,
product insert sheets, labeling, recruitment materials and so
on.
With the increased availability of powerful desktop publishing
systems and software, many companies decide to meet these needs
internally. Resist this impulse. Your homegrown materials will
betray their off-the-cuff origin to most of the people who read
them. Appearance is reality in marketing, and you have to look as
professional as you are. And no matter how creative you are, a
commercial copywriter or graphic designer can vastly improve almost
any materials created by an entrepreneur.
Here are some tips in dealing with the literature needs you'll
face as your company expands and grows:
Get a logo and stationery package designed
professionally. Do this, and don't change it for at least 10
years. Either hire an advertising agency to create it or a design
studio/graphic artist. Don't try this yourself, no matter how
artistic you consider yourself. A professional artist will make
sure your stationery materials reflect your corporate personality,
while maintaining a clean and professional look. They will look
good in color and in black and white; they'll reproduce well in
smaller sizes; they'll fax clearly; and they'll simply be more
attractive than what you can expect to do yourself.
Learn the principles of solid graphic design.
Understanding graphic design is a lifetime's work, of course, but
some reading and a sensitive eye can teach you a lot. Get hold of
some graphic design books at a local bookstore and educate
yourself. All your printed materials should follow fundamental
design principles:
- Keep the look clean and simple. Don't overload the reader
visually. Use a graphic grid to align the different elements in an
orderly fashion.
- Use heads and subheads to lead the reader. When the reader
turns the page, where will he or she look? Use heads and subheads
to provide scanning points to keep the reader moving along.
- Avoid too much type. Pages filled with writing are not
appealing to the reader. Break up the copy with photos,
illustrations, cartoons, charts and so on.
- Use white space. Avoid a crowded look, despite the temptation
to make use of every inch of paper you are paying for. White space
serves as a visual frame for the rest of the content on the
page.
- Stay with standard formats unless you have a good reason not
to. All of us have grown accustomed to the standard 8-1/2" x 11"
format for print materials. Even our filing systems are made for
things that size. If you go with an unusual size, your pieces may
not lend themselves to being filed easily for reference.
- Put a caption with each photo. We all want to know what we are
looking at. And a caption gives you the chance not just to identify
your product but to remind the reader of the benefit.
- Use charts and graphs rather than tables. A brochure is a
visual document. Use graphics to boost visual interest and make
numbers meaningful.
Be sure your materials have a "family look." Every piece
of literature doesn't have to look identical, but they should all
look planned as a compatible unit. Imagine your literature laid out
in front of you on a conference table. Does it all look like it
comes from the same company? It should.
Invest in good photography. Small companies sometimes
scrimp on getting good photos of their equipment, their job sites,
their equipment in use or their accessories and supplies. Strong,
professionally done photography will set you apart from other small
companies. Your customers want to be reassured of the quality of
your product. Amateur snapshots give a very damaging impression of
your professionalism. Good photography is an investment in your
future.
Appoint one person as lit boss. Your literature needs
will be ever changing, with trade shows, with new products and
markets and with normal growth. You must have one person
responsible for anticipating future needs, handling literature
production and maintaining inventory. Untended literature grows
increasingly less useful and more frustrating. Every new piece
should have a written rationale, audience description and content
outline, not unlike the rationale you develop for a piece of
advertising copy.